Chapter 153: The Mohist School vs. The Taiyuan Wang Clan

"God of Wealth Xu! I never thought it really was God of Wealth Xu."

An uproar swept through the crowd at the West Market. Xu Jie's reputation in Chang'an was already immense, and his meteoric bankruptcy had caused a massive sensation in the city's business community.

No one had expected that the God of Wealth Xu, whom everyone believed had fallen into the dust, would make such a comeback. Moreover, his very first move was to purchase five hundred injured horses, which completely baffled them.

"Manager Wang!" Xu Jie glared gloomily at the source of the voice and said with deep resentment.

"It's Manager Wang from the horse market!" the onlookers exclaimed one after another.

"Manager Wang?" Mo Dun looked with surprise at the owner of the voice—a slightly plump middle-aged man dressed in brocade. This was the first time Mo Dun had laid eyes on Manager Wang, but their feud went back a long way. The man before him was none other than Manager Wang from the Wang Family Fish Shop.

After the Wang Family Fish Shop was driven out of business by the live fish trade of Mo Village, Manager Wang had his bones broken by the fishmonger. Once he recovered, Manager Wang somehow managed to pull some strings and attached himself to the young master of the Wang family's main branch. He offered a vicious scheme to ruin the God of Wealth Xu, and by doing so, he leaped into the clouds overnight, securing the lucrative post of manager at the horse market.

"God of Wealth Xu, to come all the way to the West Market to buy horses without even giving your little brother a heads-up! You should know that most of the horse markets here in the West Market belong to the Taiyuan Wang family!" Manager Wang said smugly.

Taiyuan bordered the Turks to the north, and the Taiyuan Wang clan maintained very close ties with them, procuring a massive number of horses from the Turks every year. Coupled with the immense influence of the Taiyuan Wang family, they had soared to become the largest horse merchants in Chang'an, controlling a vast majority of the horse markets in the West Market.

"There's no need. I wouldn't dare claim brotherhood with Manager Wang!" Xu Jie retorted with a sneer.

The merchants present were all aware of the feud between the God of Wealth Xu and Manager Wang, and they began whispering and pointing. Their gazes toward Manager Wang carried a trace of wariness—after all, no one wanted to be targeted by such a petty villain.

"You must be Xu Jie!" A lofty voice rang out.

The crowd parted, and a brocade-clad young man of about twenty emerged, surrounded by a retinue of servants.

"Ah! It's young Master Wang Zhe!"

Exclamations of surprise burst from the crowd!

The Taiyuan Wang family held an exalted status, and Wang Zhe was a direct scion of the clan, controlling numerous businesses throughout Chang'an. A single word from Wang Zhe could mean a massive business deal.

As soon as Wang Zhe showed his face, many of the merchants in the West Market rushed forward to pay their respects.

"Peace and good fortune to you, Young Master Wang!"

"Young Master Wang, do drop by my Wei family's firm whenever you have leisure time. My young master has been looking forward to seeing you for a long time."

Wang Zhe smiled and greeted them one by one, fully displaying the poise and elegance of a scion from a prestigious aristocratic family.

"Young Master! That's Xu Jie!" Manager Wang hurriedly stepped forward, currying favor with a submissive and flattering expression.

"Indeed, it is I!" Xu Jie stared intently at Young Master Wang. If Manager Wang was a vicious hound, then the Wang Zhe before him was the hound's master. The overnight collapse of the Xu Trading Firm was entirely his doing.

"Oh! You have some spine, which explains why you dared to refuse this young master's goodwill. Now, I'll give you one more chance. As long as you agree to join the Wang family's trading firm, you may choose any position you desire," Wang Zhe said arrogantly, as if tossing a bone to a stray dog.

"Oh! What if I want Manager Wang's position?" Xu Jie raised an eyebrow and asked.

Manager Wang's heart skipped a beat, and he looked eagerly at Wang Zhe.

"Trying to sow discord even at a time like this? But so what? As long as you are willing to come, the position of manager at the Wang family's horse market is yours immediately," Wang Zhe said proudly, completely disregarding Manager Wang's dignity.

Manager Wang's face darkened instantly, a wave of desolation washing over his heart.

"What a pity! I, Xu Jie, do not have the habit of serving as a slave!" Xu Jie scoffed coldly.

"Enter the manor as a servant?"

Only then did the surrounding crowd understand why Xu Jie had turned down Wang Zhe. Otherwise, who wouldn't want to join the Taiyuan Wang family? After all, it's easy to enjoy the cool shade under a big tree, and with the backing of the Wang family, doing business would undoubtedly be smooth sailing.

"Humph! How ungrateful! My young master took pity on you and specially went out of his way to find a path to survival for you, yet you stubbornly degenerate and refuse to appreciate kindness!" Manager Wang felt a sudden surge of relief. It was he who had devised the vicious plot to ruin Xu Jie, and Xu Jie undoubtedly hated him to the bone. If Xu Jie had truly agreed to join the Taiyuan Wang family, that probably would have been his doom.

Wang Zhe's face flushed with embarrassment. As a direct descendant of the Taiyuan Wang family, who would normally dare to deny him face? He had never expected a mere merchant to have the audacity to refuse him time and time again.

"Young Master, why bother lowering yourself to argue with such an unappreciative wretch? In my opinion, this God of Wealth Xu is nothing more than an empty title. To have bought so many injured horses just goes to show that his reputation as the God of Wealth has long since faded—just like these injured horses, they are completely useless now," Manager Wang said.

"Injured horses? What you fools see as injured horses are, in Mo's eyes, fine steeds capable of covering a thousand miles a day," a voice rang out from among the injured horses. Mo Dun stepped forward and spoke proudly.

"Greetings, Master!" Xu Jie bowed and saluted.

"Ah!"

"The God of Wealth Xu has actually joined someone else!"

"Who on earth dares to disregard Young Master Wang's face and secretly poach his people?"

An uproar immediately broke out among the crowd at the West Market, and they began to buzz with discussion. Although the God of Wealth Xu had fallen from grace, everyone knew of Wang Zhe's declaration in Chang'an. Otherwise, given Xu Jie's ability, joining any other trading firm would have guaranteed him a worry-free livelihood, and he would never have been reduced to such a destitute state.

Therefore, every trading firm in Chang'an had avoided Xu Jie like the plague, terrified of offending the Wang family. Who could have imagined that someone would actually dare to take in Xu Jie at the risk of offending the Taiyuan Wang family?

"The Mo Clan's scion!"

Manager Wang ground his teeth in hatred. Old grudges and new grievances welled up in his heart all at once. Back then, it was the live fish business of Mo Village that had ruthlessly crushed his fish shop. Even his broken bones pointed to Mo Village as the source of his misfortunes. However, by the time he recovered, Mo Village had already grown too powerful, and he had no way to exact his revenge.

"Mo Dun!" Wang Zhe narrowed his eyes. He had long since received reports from Ma San and the others that Xu Jie had joined Mo Village, and he knew that Mo Dun had personally visited to take Xu Jie away.

He had long heard of Mo Dun, the scion of the Mo family, even from as far away as Taiyuan. No matter what grand achievements Wang Zhe attained, there was always a towering name hovering above him: the Mo Clan's scion. By his own strength, he had transformed an impoverished Mo Village into a utopian paradise; by his own strength, he had outshone all the brilliant scholars of Chang'an; and by his own strength, he had single-handedly dragged a long-declining Mo family back into the public eye.

"Mo Dun, the Mo Clan's scion!"

"So the God of Wealth Xu joined the newly risen Mo Village!"

The merchants of the West Market were in an absolute uproar. They couldn't help but gaze at the two young men who wielded such immense power. In an instant, the rising sun of the Mo Clan's scion, Mo Dun, was directly confronting the direct scion of the Wang family, one of the five prominent aristocratic clans.

The Mo family versus the Taiyuan Wang family—this promised to be a fascinating show.